


Practice Makes Perfect

by fembuck



Category: Alphas
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-21
Updated: 2012-08-21
Packaged: 2017-11-12 15:03:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fembuck/pseuds/fembuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How exactly <i>did</i> Nina know that Rachel could get off from a kiss?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Practice Makes Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> The story takes place during Season 1 while Rachel was living at Nina’s, but the premise comes from comments made during the club scene in episode 2x04 "When Push Comes to Shove".

Nina tilted her hand to the side slightly, finishing her pour and then placed the two hundred dollar bottle of merlot in her hand aside.  She then picked up the Reidel wine glass she had just filled and leaned against the counter, gazing out into the living room contemplatively.  

Rachel was curled up on the easy chair, staring down at a book, but Nina didn’t need Rachel’s enhanced sight to see that Rachel wasn’t reading it.  She was brooding, just like she had been since she had gotten back from her date two hours before and Nina couldn’t take it anymore.  Rachel was perhaps the most precious person Nina had ever met, and she couldn’t stand seeing her upset.  She knew she could come across cold to people, and Nina herself sometimes thought that her heartstrings had been cut a long time ago, but then Rachel would tug at them and Nina’s heart would ache in that wonderfully bittersweet way reminding her she still had one.

Nina placed her glass down and turned to open the cabinet door next to her.  She plucked out another wine glass, poured some merlot into it, retrieved her own glass and then made her way into the living room and settled on the couch.

“Come over here and join me,” Nina said, holding out the glass to Rachel as she settled on one end of the couch, tugging her legs up onto it.  “You look lonely over there,” she breathed out, tilting the wine glass from side to side, trying to tempt Rachel over to her.

Rachel angled her head to the side and stared at Nina contemplatively for a few seconds and then her eyes flickered over to the empty spot next to Nina on the couch.  She was in a bad mood and she wanted to continue sulking on the couch, but even so there was a part of her that found Nina’s offer appealing.  She was feeling vulnerable and raw, and it was tempting to just curl up into a ball and shut out the world, but the urge to be comforted was strong as well, and Rachel suspected it was why she had been sulking in the living room instead of alone in her bedroom.

Rachel offered Nina a small smile and then stood up and moved over to the couch.

“Thanks,” Rachel said softly as she took the wine glass from Nina and settled herself on the other end of the couch.  “I could use a drink actually,” she murmured, smiling shyly, glancing over at Nina briefly before she brought her glass up to her lips.

“Bad date?” Nina asked casually as she swirled the carmine liquid in her glass lazily.

Rachel released a derisive breath and her lips curled up in a pained smile.  She shook her head sadly and darkly muttered, “They’re all bad dates.”

Nina was quiet for a moment and then she shifted on the couch so that her arm was resting on the back of it and she was facing Rachel.

“One day you will meet a man who has not just risen from primordial ooze,” Nina breathed out earnestly.

Rachel released another rough breath and then tilted her head up, shaking it despondently from side to side.

“It’s not them, Nina,” Rachel whispered, lowering her head to stare down into her glass of wine.  “It’s me.  I’m the problem,” she stated, her voice rising slightly.  “I’m defective,” she continued in a softer tone, blinking rapidly in an attempt to contain tears.

Upon hearing Rachel’s words, Nina immediately placed her wine glass on the coffee table and shifted closer to Rachel until she was close enough to reach over and touch Rachel’s arm.

“You are not defective,” Nina declared firmly, staring at Rachel’s profile until Rachel finally turned and met her eyes.   “You’re special.  You’re miraculous,” she breathed out.  “You’re a beautiful person, Rache.  Compassionate, intelligent, sensitive …”

“Sensitive,” Rachel repeated bitterly, halting Nina’s word.  “Too sensitive,” she muttered resentfully.

“What do you mean?” Nina asked gently, running her hand down Rachel’s arm and over her wrist until her fingers were brushing against the back of Rachel’s hand.

Rachel’s eyes slipped close as Nina’s fingers ghosted over her skin.  Nina’s fingers were warm and soft, her touch was comforting, and Rachel sighed softly and breathed in deeply, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling of Nina’s thumb brushing against the back of her hand and the way the tender stroking made her tense muscles relax.  She breathed in and out slowly until everything disappeared from the forefront of her consciousness except for Nina and the feel of her thumb grazing her skin.

Rachel gasped and her eyes flew open.  She blinked a few times and then her eyes focused on Nina and she breathed in sharply before yanking her hand out from under Nina’s and turning away from her.

“Tell me again that I’m not defective,” Rachel said, addressing Nina though she was staring down at that hand Nina had been touching a moment before.  “I can’t even …” Rachel muttered before pausing and shaking her head in frustration.  “I’m overwhelmed by everything.  Anything more than a glancing touch, any prolonged human contact and my skin becomes hyper-sensitized and I … I lose myself.  Your thumb, another person’s lips … it becomes everything, everything and I have to pull away or I’ll … I’ll disappear,” Rachel said helplessly, glancing over at Nina as she blinked back tears.  “I’ll never be able to have a love life.  Who would want a woman who recoils from their touch?” Rachel asked forlornly, gazing down into her glass again.

“Before you started seeing Lee, you spent months locked away in your house refusing to go outside because the world overwhelmed you.  But he worked with you to control it,” Nina began gently.  “The two of you went outside for just a little while, onto the sidewalk at first, and then down the block, and he’d talk to you, give you something to focus on, he’d stop the sounds and the scents from taking over, and you got better,” Nina continued, smiling over at Rachel before reaching over to take her hand again.  “You learned how to keep your senses level, and how to force them back when they began to take over.  You practiced and you got better at it.  You just need to practice this too,” Nina said earnestly, squeezing Rachel’s hand.

“How am I supposed to ask someone for that?” Rachel asked looking away from Nina.  “I mean, even if I could explain it, why would anyone want to bother?”

“What if you didn’t have to ask?” Nina breathed out thoughtfully.

“Like sometime between appetizers and dessert someone’s just going to guess that I’m a mutant with super senses?” Rachel asked sarcastically as she stared forward, avoiding Nina’s gaze.

“You wouldn’t have to ask me.  I’m volunteering.  I want to bother,” Nina stated, watching Rachel steadily.  “You can practice with me.  We can go slowly.  No first date awkwardness.  No pressure.  No stubble,” she continued, smiling when Rachel’s lips curved up and she glanced over at her.  “Just two girlfriends practicing kissing together.  It’ll be like high school.”

“We went to very different high schools,” Rachel replied and Nina grinned at her.

“In Greenwich we liked to experiment, okay?” Nina said with a laugh.  “Doing drugs, drinking, hanging out at dirty bars in sketchy parts of town, kissing boys you never planned on marrying, kissing girls you weren’t allowed to marry, naked hot-tubbing … we had a too much free time and disposable income,” Nina continued airily as she brushed a strand of dark hair out of her eyes.  “The point is I’m more than willing to be your warm up partner … if you want.” 

Rachel looked up at Nina when she finished speaking and after gazing into Nina’s eyes for a moment Rachel’s eyes dropped down to Nina’s lips and Nina had to fight the urge to smile.  She knew that Rachel was tempted.  She’d always known that Rachel had something of a crush on her, and now she was offering Rachel exactly what she wanted.  There was no way that Rachel couldn’t be tempted.  But because Rachel was Rachel she was overthinking things, trying to come up with a reason not to do what she so clearly wanted to do.

Nina wasn’t going to let her do that, not this time.  Rachel was so afraid of losing control that she couldn’t let go even when it was in her best interest.  Nina wasn’t going to let fear rule Rachel presently however. She was going to help Rachel seize the moment.

Nina leaned forward, slowly, but intently, giving Rachel time to evade her if she wanted, but Rachel didn’t move away and as Nina’s face drew closer to her, Nina saw Rachel’s lips part slightly in anticipation of her kiss.

“You know what’s coming, right?” Nina whispered, hovering near Rachel’s lips but not quite touching them, not yet.

“Yeah,” Rachel responded breathily, her chest already rising and falling more rapidly than normal.

“Is it okay?” Nina asked watching Rachel intently.

“Yeah,” Rachel breathed out.

Nina smiled at her and then she closed the remaining distance between them and pressed her lips against Rachel’s for the first time.

Rachel gasped at the first touch of her lips and Nina smiled and lifted her hand to Rachel’s face, holding her steady as she brushed her lips against Rachel’s again, kissing her more firmly this time, flooding Rachel with sensation.  

Nina kept the contact between them light for a while, simply brushing her lips against Rachel’s, allowing Rachel to get used to feel of her before taking things further.  She hoped that it would help Rachel relax, that the gentle touches would keep Rachel at ease, and when Rachel sighed softly and shifted closer to her on the couch, Nina knew that it had worked.

They stayed like that, kissing almost chastely for minutes upon minutes, and then Nina took things further and teased the seam of Rachel’s lips with her tongue, drawing a low moan from Rachel.  Instinctively, Rachel’s lips parted and Nina wasted no time slipping her tongue into Rachel’s mouth.  The new sensation made Rachel groan and then clutch at Nina’s thigh before sliding her hand up to Nina’s hip which she took possessive hold of and used to tug Nina closer to her.

Nina pulled back from Rachel’s lips and brushed aside some strands of brown hair before she gently took hold of Rachel’s face.

“You okay?” Nina asked softly, watching Rachel keenly.

Rachel gazed at her with wide eyes and a heaving chest and nodded.

“Use your words,” Nina said in response, stroking Rachel’s cheek with her thumb.  

She remembered Lee mentioning that speaking forced Rachel to concentrate.

“I’m okay,” Rachel rasped, blinking a few times before she smiled hesitantly.  “Really.  Will you …” she continued hesitantly, but before she could finish her question Nina leaned forward and captured her lips again, wasting no time this time slipping her tongue inside to explore Rachel’s mouth.

Rachel arched into her, returning Nina’s kiss greedily as her hands began to roam again, trailing up and down Nina’s torso and grasping at her thighs.  Rachel slid closer to Nina on the couch as they kissed, climbing onto Nina’s lap and moaning as she pushed Nina’s back until Nina was lying on the couch and Rachel was straddling her waist.

Rachel rolled her hips into Nina as she kissed her hungrily and then she kissed her way from Nina’s lips down to her throat, licking at the tender flesh before she began to suck on Nina’s pale skin, reddening it, bruising it with her passion.

Nina moaned and the sound tore through Rachel, drawing her out of the tantalizing trance she had fallen into.

Rachel wrenched her lips away from Nina’s neck.

“I’m so sorry,” Rachel gasped, reaching out to touch the circle of purpling skin on Nina’s neck before she thought better of it and drew her hand back.  “I shouldn’t have,” she began, but Nina reached up and cupped her cheek, silencing her.

“It’s okay,” Nina said gently, smiling up at Rachel.  “I’m fine,” she continued.  “How do you feel?” she asked and Rachel blushed and averted her eyes.  “You’re gonna stay with me, right?   You’re not gonna run,” Nina continued, and Rachel squirmed on top of her as  if she were going to protest, but she didn’t actually move off of Nina, and eventually she stopped shifting and looked back at her.

“I’m going to stay,” Rachel breathed out.

She had never let things progress this far with someone before.  She had never kissed someone for this long without feeling overwhelmed and scared and making a stumbling exit because of it.  

“Do you want to stop for a minute?” Nina asked as Rachel gazed down at her looking uncertain.  “We can take a break, you can regroup, I can refill my glass,” Nina continued trailing off, allowing Rachel to think about what she’d said.

“If you want to,” Rachel said a moment later.

“No, if you want to,” Nina replied and Rachel breathed in deeply before angling her face away again.

“I don’t.  Want to.  Stop I mean,” Rachel said softly, stumbling over her words as she continued to avoid Nina’s eyes.

“Then kiss me,” Nina breathed out and Rachel turned back to look at her, and then did exactly that.

Nina’s openness, her willingness to let Rachel set the pace, and go with where Rachel wanted to take them without expectation, loosened the knot of worry that usually resided in Rachel’s chest, and she sighed contently into Nina’s mouth, kissing her deeply, luxuriating in the feel and taste of her.

It felt so good.  Nina’s body was warm and solid beneath her.  She could feel Nina’s bare thighs pressed up against her own, she could feel the gentle roundness of Nina’s breasts pressed against hers, and Nina’s scent filled her senses.  Rachel felt warm, and tingly but perhaps most importantly safe.  Nina knew her.  Rachel didn’t need to worry about hiding her reactions or having the wrong reaction, not with Nina.  Nina understood.  With Nina it was okay to be herself and relax.

Rachel’s senses narrowed further, becoming focused on her mouth.  She was still distantly aware of the feel of Nina’s thigh, and the scent of flowers, fruit and musk from Nina’s perfume that surrounded her, but her sense of touch and taste had were now centered on her mouth, on the softness of Nina’s lips, on the wet heat of her mouth, on the feel of Nina’s tongue teasing her own, flooding her feeling.

Her fingers tightened on Nina’s arm, Rachel’s hold on her becoming firmer as Nina stroked her tongue.  Rachel’s hips rolled unconsciously, instinctively into Nina’s body.  Between her legs she throbbed with need.  Every stroke of Nina’s tongue resonated between Rachel’s legs, making her clit throb as if Nina’s tongue was licking it, and when Nina sucked on her tongue, Rachel gasped and then clutched at Nina as her hips bucked against the older woman quickly and compulsively as a sudden but intense orgasm washed over her. 

Still in the grip of climax, Rachel lowered her head to Nina’s shoulder and hugged her tightly as her body shook, then she settled with her head on Nina’s shoulder, breathing deeply as tiny aftershocks of pleasure continued to roll through her body.

“Did you just …?” Nina began softly, allowing her words to trail off as her fingers combed through Rachel lovely, thick hair.

Rachel released a pained sound and buried her face in Nina’s neck for a moment, hiding, and then she jerked back and began to climb off of Nina.  

Realizing that Rachel was going to try and flee, Nina immediately reached out for her and caught Rachel’s wrist.  

“You said you were going to stay with me,” Nina said, relaxing a little when Rachel didn’t try to break the hold she had on her.  

“That was before,” Rachel muttered absolutely refusing to look at Nina.

“Before what?” Nina asked gently.

“Before that!” Rachel exclaimed, gesturing vaguely at Nina’s body, at where she had been perched before, at where she had … “Before I …” she whispered, trailing off, unable to voice what had just happened.

“Why should that change anything?” Nina asked and Rachel looked over at her sharply.  “It’s okay,” Nina continued.  “I’m used to my mouth working wonders,” she breathed out, smiling over at Rachel, and feeling quite pleased with herself when Rachel’s lips curved up the slightest bit.  “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”  

Nina couldn’t say that the thought that Rachel could orgasm from kissing had occurred to her before Rachel was trembling in her arms, but it didn’t really surprise her either.  

“Actually it’s kind of a neat trick,” Nina breathed out, her sex clenching with desire when her mind replayed Rachel’s orgasm.  

Rachel had come so hard.  Quickies in the office would be so easy for Rachel.  And if she reacted that strongly to Nina’s tongue in her mouth, Nina shivered to think about how much pleasure she could bring Rachel with her tongue between her legs. 

“No, it’s not,” Rachel declared immediately, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Nina, her expression hard in a way that Nina hardly ever saw on Rachel.  “It’s terrible,” Rachel told her, her voice softening as she averted her eyes.  “I can’t …” she shook her head hopelessly.  “How is anyone ever going to be interested in me if I can’t get past first base?”

“Rache,” Nina breathed out, stroking Rachel’s cheek tenderly before she pushed up onto her arms and sat up enough that she could lean forward and kiss Rachel’s cheek.  “Practice makes perfect.  We’ll just, you know, keep on hitting the batting cages.  We’ll keep working at it until you’re able to hit home-runs,” Nina continued, smirking playfully at Rachel, “Total Babe Ruth.”

“It’s not funny, Nina,” Rachel said, taking Nina’s smile and teasing words in the worst way possible due to her vulnerable state.

“I know it’s not,” Nina replied meeting Rachel’s eyes, her tone and expression now completely serious.  “I’m serious.  You know that practicing is the only way you’ll become accustomed to the sensations of kissing someone and feeling their body against your own.  You know that becoming familiar with the feelings is the only way to gain control over your reactions to them.”

“Yeah, but …” Rachel began before pausing and studying Nina for a few seconds.  “I mean, you would do that?  You would … help me like that?” she asked sounding embarrassed but hopeful.

“Of course,” Nina said without missing a beat.  ”That’s what friends are for.  Besides, it’s not exactly a chore for me.  Please tell me you know how beautiful you are,” she continued smiling at Rachel again, certain that this time it go over better.

Rachel looked over at her and allowed her eyes to roam over Nina’s dramatic features, taking in her pale skin and dark hair, her pink, well-formed lips, and her high, aristocratic cheekbones.  Nina was radiant, confident, self-possessed, elegant, and worldly, while she was shy, and skittish and awkward and had barely traveled out of state.  How someone like Nina could use the word ‘beautiful’ in relation to her was mindboggling, and Rachel couldn’t or wouldn’t comprehend it.

“I’m not,” Rachel murmured lowering her head, shaking it disbelievingly.

“You are,” Nina stated with conviction, believing it enough for both of them at that moment.  “I’ll show you,” she breathed out and then she leaned in and captured Rachel’s lips again, kissing her slowly.

The End


End file.
